Mr. Little buddy or Big Buddy

[Eric Wettschreck]

Normally, when the tank gets low it frosts. It's the low pressure in the tank. If you have a frost line, say halfway down the the tank it's telling you your tank is about half full. Easier to see the colder it is outside. Also, the colder the tank the harder it is to boil the propane. I know they say not to do this but if your tank is half full and it just will not push anymore vapor out you may want to bring it inside your house to warm it up. That may help boil off some of the liquid.

[Orlip]

The ones that are sold at Lowes are called tough buddy's. Same heater as everywhere else, made by Mr. Heater. So at Lowes the Tough buddy (Big Buddy) is the biggun and the Portable tough (Little Buddy) is the littleun. Hope this helps.

Dietz I had a 20 lb tank hooked up to mine and when I put it on high it worked fine. My tank is full also so I dont know if this will be a problem or not when it gets low.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Boilerguy-thanks for the help.. yet, the tank was just filled the night before so it was full... and it was inside my portable.. not outside...

[Eric Wettschreck]

OK, well, now you have me stumped also. I never said I was a smart man, just good looking.

If it's only burning on high for a small amount of time, then out she goes, but will burn pilot it makes me think it does not have enough vapor pressure at the burner.

Why it doesn't have pressure at the burner is the mystery. Clogged/dirty hose, gooped up burner assembly, dirty regulator would be my first guesses.

[FishGUY]

Deitz,

How old is the filter you are using? I have read, that they need to be changed yearly or after a lot of use. You could try a 1 pounder to see if it is the heater or tank. If you rule out the heater, try a new filter.

Good Luck

[Deitz Dittrich]

Fish Guy- filter is new.. that was the first thing I replaced...

I just got off the phone with Jim Dobbins on tech support with the Big Buddie heater company. Cant say enough kind things. Very friendly and gave me a bunch of things to try to make this better. I will give it a try this weekend and see if I cant get my Buddie working as I know it can. Bravo to Mr.Heater... I sent them an e-mail and I had a message on my vice mail within 30 mins. I think that is darn good!

[Jorgie]

I'm looking to get a new heater, my dinky sunflower heater that sits on a 1# tank isn't cutting it. Would a Little Buddy do the trick in a Clam 2000? A Big Buddy would take up a lot of room and costs more, but if its going to keep me warmer, I'd go with it.

[Cheeser]

Quote:

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Ok.. I need help with this... I have a 10 lb tank with my Big Buddie.. and I have the hose and I also got the filter... SO I think I have done everything right. The Buddie has worked well all year.. but then again, it hasn't been that cold. so its never really gone above med for heat.. well, saturday and sunday of this last weekend it was a tad colder... So I put her on high.. it works for a while, then wham.. it just shuts off... I can get the piolet to light but will not stay on when I got to turn the knob to high again.. Now, when this happens the tanks is frosted on the outside... Is this a tank issue, or a Big Buddie issue or my issue.. I know for a fact that I was not over o2 levels, I didn't bank the house at all had both vents open and it was windy.

I just e-mailed customer service to see if they had an answer for me as well.

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Deitz, I had this same exact problem with my Big Buddy about 3 weeks ago out on Frances. The pilot lit, low and medium would work but when I turned it on high it would light the 2nd burner, then it would act like someone was blowing on it (it made a noise like bacon sizzling) and poof, it would go out. Same setup as yours, 10 lb tank, hose and filter, tank in the otter sled. I fixed it in the house - here's what I did:

Apparently there is a oriface or breather hole in the valve on the tank and if it gets frost or moisture in it, it doesn't allow propane to flow fast enough. I took my gloves off and wrapped my hands around the valve on top of the tank for a couple of minutes to warm it up. Then, I closed/opened/closed/opened the tank, turned the Big Buddy to the High setting, and viola! I could hear the propane flowing through the valve (it makes a quiet ssssssss) and it stayed lit on high the rest of the afternoon.

It was c-o-l-d that day, frost everywhere. Good thing it worked, my hands were plenty chilly after that.

Hope this helps!

--Mark

[howpeculiar]

We have a little buddy and a big-buddy. I got the bags from Cabelas that they store in. The bags hold 2 extra propane tanks, and keep the dust out. When it is cold out, like last weekend, I put the big buddy under the table and the little buddy on top. Keeps a Clam 6800 nice and toasty. Also, added some thin luan plywood with exterior carpet to it. That made a BIG difference in keeping it warm, and only added a few pounds. Liquid nails is holding up so far.... When it is 20 degrees or more, I only bring the little buddy. It is enough to keep the holes clear, and me comfortable.